If you use iOS devices there is an app Beacon Aid which shows the frequencies and the ncdxf beacon callsigns as they transmit on a 3 minute cycle. Read more about the beacons on the NCDXF website.
There may be a corresponding app for Android os.
Some of it’s just having a hunch… To get the propagation you need good ionisation at the right height, and ionisation’s generally more intense on the daylight side of the Earth, so picking a path where the skips are mostly in daylight may work. At 0700z at this time of year that would be short-path between G and VK. Catch is, if the Sun’s that bit more active then some of that ionisation becomes absorbing rather than propagating, so then you’d want a path that spends more time on the night side. At 0700z that would be long-path between G and VK. Throw some grey-line (along the sunset edge of the terminator, where the absorbing layer’s fading fast but the higher propagating layers are still strong) and there’s even more handwavium in the hunch, but I don’t think that figures much in the G-VK path at 0700z at this time of year…
I like playing with the map and charts on VOACAP Online for Ham Radio to get a feel for what the theory says might be happening. At the moment, while it does show a little increase on short-path between G and VK for 20 metres around 0700z, it shows a greater increase on long-path. Both paths may be working, and the path difference is small enough that having an antenna that looks both ways (Like a well-placed dipole) may do the job, but if you have a beam with decent directional gain then looking down the long-path gives you a better chance…
…unless the take-off down the long-path direction is considerably worse than down the short-path one, of course. I live part way up a one in five(-ish) north-east facing slope. Take-off to the north-east is pretty good. Take-off to north-west and south-east is average. Take-off to the south-west is… not so good. Maybe time to put the mast to full height for next weekend (and set the alarm clock). 
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Hi Fraser,
The international beacons are on 14.100, 18.110, 21.150, 24.930 and 28.150. For the CW challenged there is an Android app NCDXF Beacon which lets you see where the CW you can hear is coming from.
The numbers of beacons on 10 m is astounding. Fortunately they ID in CW frequently. Tune above 28.200. On Sunday I had 9++ signals from ZL3TEN, 28.228, but worked no one on 10 m. Lots of Indonesian NBFM stations every 25 kHz from about 28.200 to 29.000 heard later. Wasted ions.
PSK Reporter can show where the CW/FT8/RTTY/PSK signals are coming from.
You can spend more time looking at the indicators than is worthwhile. If you can spot and call CQ you will soon know where you are being heard.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
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…and the NCDXF beacon website has one, too: International Beacon Project Transmission Schedule
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Rick, that is such a great help, thank you. I might frame that text and put it above my shack radio, not that I ever use it!
Thanks, Fraser
Mt Lambie was kind to me weather wise last weekend. No raging gales which was a pleasant change.
Things went well, Saturday on 20M 28CW contacts with all over Europe, UK. 20 SSB on 20 metres contacts again all over Europe and UK.
Sunday a bit quieter on 20M although the band was in great shape with many strong signals. 20 CW contacts, then a raging contest started up so gave up with trying SSB.
Retreated to 30 metres and made another 11 CW contacts.
My paddle played up halfway through Sundays proceedings causing many errors so changed over to a Palm Radio mini straight key, lot slower but more reliable.
The vertical squid pole aerial. This gives excellent performance.
The radio shack.
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It was great to get you in the log Martin, thanks for getting up so early! Wynne, ZL2ATH.
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It was a very productive evening Andrew. Certainly was hard work for you and I to make the exchange, CW was even harder for me with my limited skills, but I dragged a few out of the pileups. Good to work you and the other VK stations as well as all the EU ones. Wynne-ZL2ATH
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Ed,
You might be OK. Martin OE5REO was workable for an hour here this afternoon. His 10W to a vertical did well. I could have worked him on 5 W.
73
Ron
VK3AFW.
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Apart from forgetting about summer time (and therefore arriving on summit an hour earlier than I planned), it was a very pleasant hour! Misty and a bit chilly, so I quit after an hour when my battery was starting to deplete.
Sunrise on the way up. It was to be my last view as I headed into the cloud which descended even further by the time I left.
3 VKs including a S2S with Andrew VK1AD. Thanks very much for answering my request so quickly (so quickly in fact that I only had time for about 4 hours sleep - would have been 5 if my brain was working!). It was much appreciated and I look forward to more contacts in the future. Another highlight was my first contact into Alaska. I listened for Martin OE5REO, but the skip was wrong - I could hear the stations working him, but nothing at all from Martin.
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After the success on Sunday I had to get out early once again for another try to get some VK/ZL in the log. Again I chose a summit with good take-off to the west that is not too far away from home. Started at the parking area at 4:30 UTC and it took me a little over 30 minutes to gain the 300 vertical meters. For my chosen summit Grosser Landsberg OE/OO-376 a vertical antenna is the right setup as there is not very much space up there.
At 05:15 I all was set up (KX2 and J-Pole Antenna) and I tuned across the band. I listened in to VK1AD but his signal was rather weak … so I decided to work him later (it happened about 5 minutes later) and started to call CQ on 14.325.
I could work station after station from VK and ZL, even a QSO with California was possible. Between 05:21 and 05:58 UTC I was able to work 11 DX-Stations (@VK2IO @ZL1TM @VK1AD @VK3GTV @VK3AFW @ZL4NVW @VK5PAS @VK5HS … only mentioning the active reflector users here). After 06:00 UTC only a few stations from Europe came back to my CQ calls. No copy of @G6PJZ at all …
Again I can show you a quite impressive log:
Called CQ until 06:45, then started to pack up because clouds were getting more and more and the first hikers arrived at this popular summit. Not too warm for end of April with about 6-7 degrees.
73 Martin, OE5REO
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Well done Martin. I think your log shows the sweet spot in EU/VK timings. I started calling about 0430, then had to QSY at about 0450 as I started to hear stations (VK or ZL) working on ‘my’ frequency. My contact with Andrew at 0506 was quite weak (he picked up when I spoke to him again about 15 or 20 minutes later). By 0515 the VK base stations were getting through quite well. I shut down about 0530. Not too warm here either
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Andy,
Reckon on the UK’s best time being about 30 minutes after Central Europe, but what I have been seeing over the last month is not only that 20m is opening earlier but also that it has been staying open longer right up to 0730 UTC or later on many occasions.
Of course don’t forget that we still get Greyline propagation on 40m around dawn as well but normally neither station has the advantage of a beam on that band but signals can still be strong.
73 Ed.
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That’s a large battery Martin. Do you use an amp. with the KX2?
Great log again! 
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@VK1AD Hi Andrew, I was active at a POTA park this morning, on my way to work. I could hear you fine on 20m SSB 5/5 near Manchester at approx 06:30UTC. I tried calling a couple of times, but there were a lot of chasers and I’m not sure my 20 - 30w was enough. I heard one Irish guy telling you he was using 195w…
Anyway, I managed to work VK3YV on SSB, which was great. Hope to be out this weekend as a S2S with VK would be pretty awesome 
73, Simon.
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You are right, too big for SOTA. For normal activations I use a LiFePO4 with 2Ah (EREMIT 12V 2Ah flacher kleiner LiFePO4) but I thougt I bring along my other LiFePO4 battery with 5Ah … then it is no problem to let the voice keyer call CQ, CQ, CQ forever 
I was running the KX2 barefoot with 10w …
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Excellent. I think I will do the same next time I try for VK.
Just once (or twice) more then
I’ve somehow convinced myself I can squeeze in an activation of GM/ES-065 on my way to work tomorrow. (I drive past it twice a day.) Aiming for QRV at 0600z. Usual set up.
Then Thursday, I’m cycling to work via GM/ES-070. A bit later. QRV at 0930z so will probably miss any opening. This will be QRP and an inverted V efhw.
Any VK/ZL takers?
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VK6PJZ will listen out for you (but probably in my PJs from home after today )
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Stay Well!